Chapter 8 #2
I’ve made some fabulous pieces, things I’d love to sell one day.
If it weren’t illegal.
I pull goggles over my eyes and get to work. Dust flies this way and that, puffing up around me as I whittle the bone down until I’m left with a polished and perfect ring. I use a small carving drill and write in tiny letters on the inside: Property of Bane.
I hold it up to the light as I brush the dust from my cheeks. “Beautiful. My best work yet.”
Now I just need to find Georgiy and put it on his finger.
A testament to what we are.
More than boyfriends, more than husbands. Soul mates.
“Agatha, have you seen Georgiy?” I ask as I wander into the kitchen, making sure to wipe my feet off before entering. Don’t want to upset her by tracking in dirty footprints.
Oh, Georgiy wouldn’t like that.
Shit. I forgot to wipe up the puddles in the bathroom and pick up my towel.
Oh well. I’ll do it later when I’m back in the room.
Agatha shakes her head and then hands me a sandwich stuffed full of greens and veggies. “No, I haven’t, dear, but here you go. Eat this. You need the antioxidants. Did you take your vitamins today?”
I shake my head and she tuts, handing me my pill box and a glass of water. Dutifully, I take them, and she nods when she sees me following her directions. My chest expands. I adore her.
“Have you asked around about Georgiy? Maybe the guards have seen him. He is just as sneaky as you.”
“He is. The sneakiest. Hey, wanna see the ring I made him?”
Agatha gasps and shuffles over to me as I pull it from my pocket. I place it in her palm, and she oohs and ahhs over it, admiring the detail of my work. She appreciates it. She always has. She’s currently wearing the earrings I made her last month. The ones made of molars.
“This is gorgeous work.”
“I know. It’s my best work yet.”
“Will it fit him?”
I bristle slightly. “Of course! I measured his fingers when he was sleeping weeks ago.”
“Of course you did. He’s a lucky man.”
I grin and let her place a kiss on my head. “I’m going to go look for him.”
“You do that. And tell him I’m making him and Mikhail’s boys some Russian food for dinner tonight. Eat that sandwich, Bane. I don’t want my little bug hungry.”
My heart swells, and I take a dutiful bite as I make my way out of the kitchen, searching for him.
He’s not in Anthony’s office, and none of the guards have seen him.
So I’m left to go outside. The sun is far too bright, and I realize I need some sunglasses if I’m going to have to keep traipsing outdoors.
As I munch on my sandwich, I make my way around the perimeter, chatting with the different guards as I go.
A lot of them are newer. Anthony really meant it when he said he was beefing up the security.
Good. He should. He needs ones who have a keen eye.
My hand goes up to my head, and I press against the bruise there. It’s still sore, but nothing too terrible. I’ve had worse.
“Jax!” I shout when I catch him and Kit in the distance near the forest of trees that abut the end of the property. “And Kitty Kat!”
Kit blushes, and Jax arches an eyebrow. Kit whispers something to Jax, and I wish I could hear what he said to him.
“Have you seen my mate? Georgiy?” I ask when I get closer.
“Uh, I think I saw him leave,” Jax tells me.
My heart sinks at that. “What? Where did he go?”
“Don’t know. He didn’t say. Just called a car and left without saying anything. I don’t trust that guy.”
My lips purse, and I rub my forehead. “Why didn’t he tell me?”
Jax moves up next to me and touches my shoulder. I shift against him, pressing my face into his chest, and let his arms wrap me in a hug. I turn toward Kit and say, “I need a group hug. Please.”
Kit slides over next to me, and the two of them squish me deliciously.
“I’m sure he’ll be back,” Kit says, and I huff against Jax’s chest.
“You should call him. See where he went.”
“He didn’t take his stuff…” I mull over that as I shake my head.
“Then that means he’s going to be back. He wouldn’t just leave you. That wouldn’t be cool if he did that,” Kit says, and I glance up at him.
“Yeah. I hope so.”
The two of them pull away from me, and I shift on my feet, my mind moving a mile a minute.
“Um, well, since you’re here, wanna see the ring I made him? A signal of our obsession?”
“Yeah,” Jax says, and I pull it from my pocket.
“It’s made of bone.”
They stare at it and give me a nod. “Nice.”
“It’s perfect. You can admit you’re jealous,” I say.
Kit peers over at Jax and then shrugs. “I’m very jealous.”
“If you are, then I can make you one. You and Jax can trade if you want.”
Kit flushes, and Jax shifts on his feet.
“Yeah, we’re good. We aren’t exchanging rings.”
“Yet,” I add, and they both stare at me in disbelief. Hmph. They just don’t realize how they feel yet. I know more than they do at this moment. I’m very emotionally aware.
“Well, anyway. Toodles. I’m going to head inside before I get sunburned and wait for Georgiy to come back.”
“Good idea,” Jax replies, and then the two of them watch as I wander back toward the house, waving at them as I go.
The sunlight is stifling, making my skin burn, so I quickly enter one of the sheds that leads to the tunnels and make my way down to my butchery to await my soul mate’s arrival back home.
The only problem is he doesn’t come back.
Night comes, and he doesn’t call to say where he’s gone.
When I try to reach him, it goes to voicemail.
I call again—and sixteen more times after that—and he finally picks up, his voice curt and annoyed. My chest constricts.
“Yes?” he drawls.
“Where are you? When are you coming back?”
He’s silent for a while. “I have something I need to attend to. It requires my immediate attention.”
“So, you’ll be back later? I have something for you,” I add, trying not to sound as needy as I am.
Hell, I know I’m as needy as I sound. I honestly don’t care.
“I…Umnyashka, I don’t want it. Not now.”
My heart shrivels a little. “You don’t want it?”
“No. I can’t talk right now.”
And then the phone goes dead, and I’m left listening to nothing on the other end of the line.
He couldn’t have… Did he just leave me all alone with a ring burning a hole in my pocket? One that I made just for him? It seems he has. It seems I’ve been left once again.
Something ugly unfurls inside me, and the walls start to close in. Suddenly, this place doesn’t feel as homey as I’ve made it.
I swipe at my eyes and crawl under my desk. I pull my knees into my chest and press my face into my hands.
Just for a while. I’m going to rest here for a while.